Hoop-bending machine.



N0. 894,268. PATENTED JULY 28, 1908. J. R. HARDMAN. HOOP BENDINGMACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG- 8. 1907.

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.No. 89436 PATENTED JULY 28, 1908.

- J. R. HARDMAN.

HOOP BENDING MACHINE. APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 8. 1907.

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JZIIUZBETZHZ an JOHN R. HARDMAN, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

HOOP-BENDING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 28, 1908.

Application filed. August 8, 1907. Serial No. 387,736.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN R. HARDMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at O0- lumbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hoop-BendingMachines, of which the followmg is a specificat10n.

My invention relates to improvements in hoop bending machines andcomprises the use of a band about which the hoops are bent which isseparable from the machine with the hoops bent thereon in place,whereupon a new band may be placed upon the machine and hoops may bebent upon it in the same manner, whereupon it may also be removed fromthe machine; further, I employ for the purpose of positioning the bandabout which the hoops are bent, an eXpansible construction which may becontracted and expanded ra dially to form a circle of any circumferencedesired. I

Hoops are to beformed of different sizes, and my improvement permits theuse of a band of any circumference desired with my holding arrangement,the latter being constructed to be ex anded into engagement with theband to hold the same until the hoops are bent thereon, whereupon it maybe contracted and the band lifted off and placed aside.

Further, it includes improved means for maintaining the strips to bebent into hoops in place, and also improved means for bringing thestrips into engagement with the band as the latter is rotated.

My invention also com rises improved means for securing the en s of theformed hoops in place upon the band when the latter is lifted from themachine.

With these and other objects in view, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings, in which t Figure 1 is an elevation of my machinepartly in section; Fig. 2 is a plan of the radial frame containing theeXpansible and contractible construction; Fig. 3 is a side view of thedevice for maintaining the ends of the strips to bebent in place uponthe forming band; Fig. 4 is a face view of the same from the inner side;Fig. 5 is a side view of the rack and pinion for positioning the rollerwhich bends the strips as the frame is rotated; Fig. 6 is a front viewof a device for securing the opposite ends of the hoops u on the formingband; Fig. 7 is a side view of the device shown in Fig. 6. i

In the drawings in which the same numerals indicate the same feature ofconstruction throughout, 1 denotes the framework of the machine uponwhich is mounted a bevel gear 2, in which is fixed the shaft 3, saidbevel gear 2 being driven by the bevel pinion 4 mounted upon the innerend of a shaft uponthe outerend of which is mounted the pulley 5, whichmay be driven in any desired manner. The shaft 3, at its upper endpasses through the frame 6, the latter being rotatably secured to saidshaft, and having the radial guideways 7, 8, 9, and 10; these guidewaysare slotted as shown at 11, and in each of these slots is mounted aradial arm 12, to slide inwardly and outwardly therein, said arm havingat its outerend the wide portion 13, upon the lower end of which thereis provided an eX- tension 14. In the drawings there are 4 of the radialguideways shown, in each of which is adapted to slide a radial arm 12and these radial arms are formed in substantially the same manner.

Each radial arm is provided with the lug 15, having an opening 16therethrough to which is connected one end of the link 17, the other endof the link being pivotally secured to a collar 18 loosely surroundingthe shaft 3; adjacent its upper end, the collar is internally threadedas shown at 19 for the purpose of receivin a threaded screw 20, which ismounted in t e frame 21, and has at its upper end a hand wheel 22 forthe purpose of operating the screw in either direction as desired. Saidframe 21 is mountedupon the frame 6 at points 23 and 24 as shown in Fig.2, in any manner desired, but as shown in said figure it is mounted uponwebs 25 and 26 interposed between the radial arms of the frame 6. Withthis construction, upon the turning of the wheel 22, the links 17 willbe drawn u wardly and thereby the arms 12 will be rawn inwardly, whichoperates to produce a circle with decreased diameter; if the wheel beturned in the opposite direction, the inner ends of the links will belowered, which will have the effect of driving the arms 12 outwardly,thereby increasing the diameter of the circle. This inward and outwardmovement is ca able of fine adjustment, so that a circle 0 anycircumference desired within the limits of the machine, may be formed,making it easy to adapt the machine to a forming band of any size.

A band 27, of the desired circumference, having been selected, theradial arms are adjusted properly to receive said band, which is laidupon the projections 14 on the outer faces of the widened portions 13 ofthe arms 12 the band having been properly positioned, the hand wheel isgiven an eXtra turn for the purpose of engaging the inner face of theband and the outer faces of the arms 12, whereby the band is firmly heldin place. Everything is now ready for the positioning of the strips 28which are to be bent into hoops.

As shown in Fig. 1, the strips 28 to be bent are usually narrow, so thata plurality of them may be placed side by side against the outer face ofthe forming band 27 when they are positioned, the locking clamp device29, which is pivotally mounted at its lower end at 30, is swung upwardlyacross the ends of the strips 28, and the pivoted hook member 31 at theupper end of the clamp 29 is swung over the top of the uppermost stripand the band and permitted to engage the latter upon its inner face,thereby securing the clamp upon the band. The clamp 29, as shown,presents a convex face outwardly, leaving between the clamp and the.ends of the strips 28 a space, in which is positioned a member 32adapted to lie directly against the ends of the strips; a hand wheel 33passing through the clamp 29 is secured at its inner end in the member32, and as the hand wheel is turned inwardly or outwardly, said member32 is driven into engagement with the ends of the strips or is withdrawnfrom engagement therewith, at the will of the operator. With thisconstruction any degree of pressure desired may be exerted upon the endsof the strips. If it is desired to release the ends of the strips, thehand wheel 33 is turned outwardly, thereby withdrawing the member 32from engagement with said strips, whereupon the hook 31 may be released,and the whole clamp construction 29 be swung outwardly upon the pivot30.

To maintain the strips in contact with the band as the latter is rotatedthrough the actuation of the shaft 3, as described, I provide the roller34 mounted vertically in a bracket 35, said bracket having a rack 36formed upon its lower face, and a pinion 37 is adapted to engage withsaid rack, to move said bracket and roller inwardly or outwardly in aradial direction as desired. The bracket 35 is mounted in a groovedslideway 38 formed in the passageway 39 in the upper end of a bracketmember 40, the latter being secured to the general frame-work 1 of themachine, at the points 41 and 42. The pinion 37 is mounted in thepassageway 39 to rotate freely therein, and is provided for the purposeof giving the bracket 35 a uniform travel inwardly and outwardly, thebracket 35 being actuated preferably by hand. The bracket 35 ismaintained in any desired position by means of the ratchet 43 mountedupon the shaft 44 which also carries the I band 37 being positioned, theends of the strips 28 are brought beneath the clamp member 29 which isthereupon swung into its locking position and the inner member 32brought into snug engagement with the strip, the roller 34 is movedforwardly in the manner described to force the strips into engagementwith the circumference of the band, whereupon the frame is rotated andthe strips are bent as shown in Fig. 2. The rotation having beencompleted, the endsof the strips are brought into juxtaposition,whereupon the wide clamp member 46 is positioned against the inner faceof the band; this clamp member 46 has the angular arm 47 thereon at itslower end, the latter being provided with the opening 48 therethrough;into this opening is adapted to be inserted from above the member 49,which is pressed into engagement with thefaces of the strips adjacenttheir ends, and when properly positioned with respect to the member 46,the ring 50 is dropped over their upper ends whereby they are held inclose engagement with the faces of said band and strips. Preferably thestrips 28 are positioned upon the band in such manner that their endsproject slightly beyond the clamp 29, so that when the band iscompleted, the clamp member 46 may be positioned to cover both ends ofthe strips, and thereby hold them securelyupon the band when the latteris removed from the machine. The roller bracket 35 is now retracted, theclamp member 29 is released,

and band 27 with its load of strips now bent into hoops may be liftedoff the machine over the frame 21 and placed aside so that the stripsmay have time in which to adjust themselves to their new form. Anotherband, of different diameter if desired, may

then be placed upon the machine, and the strips may be bent easily andeffectively, and the machine is simple in its construction andoperation, and does not comprise parts which are readily put out oforder in use.

What I claim iss 1. A hoop bending machine comprising a supportingframework, a rotary shaft carried thereon, a frame mounted on said shaftand'rotatable therewith and having radial arms, radially movable membersmounted on said arms, link members connected with said radially movablemembers at one end thereof and at the other ends with a verticallyadjustable collar, whereby said radially movable members may be movedoutwardly or withdrawn inwardly, a band adapted to be positioned on theouter faces of said radially movable members, and to be engaged andpositively held in position by said members, said band being adapted toreceive a strip, and means for fastening one endof said strip andadditional means for urging said strip into engagement with said band asthe latter is rotated by said shaft.

2. A hoop bending machine comprising a shaft rotatably mounted, a framecarried on said shaft, radially adjustable arms carried in said frame, acollar loosely carried on said shaft, link connections between saidcollar and said radially adjustable arms, a screw for elevating ordepressing said collar whereby said radially adjustable arms are drawninwardly or moved outwardly, extensions on said radially adjustablearms, a band adapted to be positioned on said extensions, whereupon saidarms may be moved outwardly by the manipulation of said collar 'to'engage said band and maintain the same in position,

' said band being adapted to receive on its outer face a plurality ofstrips to be bent, an adjustable fastening device mounted upon one ofsaid arms, adapted to engage one end of said strips, means for rotatingsaid shaft to rotate said band, and an adjustable roller arranged toengage said strips and maintain the same in contact with said band asthe latter is rotated, and additional fastening means for securing theother ends of said strips when the same are bent upon said band.

3. In a hoop bending machine, a frame rotatably mounted, arms positionedupon said frame to be radially movable thereon and having projections ontheir outer faces, a band adapted to be positioned upon saidprojections, a collar, a screw adapted to manipulate said collar toraise or lower the same, links connecting said collar with said arms,whereby said arms are adapted to be moved outwardly to engage said bandto position the same, and to be withdrawn inwardly to release said bandto permit the removal of the same, said band being adapted to haveapplied to its outer face strips to be bent, adjustable clamping meansmounted upon one of said arms adapted to maintain one end of said stripsin engagement with said band, an adjustable roller adapted to engagesaid strips to conform the same to the contour of said band, means forlocking said roller in any desired position, means for rotatingsaidframe, and a second clamping device adapted to secure the opposite endsof said strips upon said band whereupon said first clamping device maybe released from said band and said band may be removed.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

' JOHN R. HARDMAN.

Witnesses:

R. ROGERS, Geo. W. RIGHTMIRE.

